The HalfHorse
by skittery's bad mood
Summary: Mush is on a journey to find his family. Blink is there to lend him a hand.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Newsies and Cinderella belong to their respective maker-uppers…I just like to play with them…hee!

_Rule #1: When the rooster crows, it's time to wake up._

Mush stretched. It felt good to stretch after an uncomfortable night's sleep. He was sure he was one of the few people in the whole world who actually liked waking up in the morning.

Oh but he'd been having such a pleasant dream…

A few irritated squawks from outside signaled that the chickens were ready for breakfast. He so badly wanted to tell them that in some parts of the world, people ate _chicken_ for breakfast, but it would fall on deaf ears…if chickens even had ears.

It was chilly outside. He wished he had a jacket, but alas, he owned a tattered and torn shirt that was several sizes too large, and a pair of knee length shorts…no jacket.

"Ugh, and no shoes," he muttered as he stepped in a glob of fowl left-behinds.

Angered by this sudden turn of events, and anxious to get to the sink in his dunge—er, bedroom, it was with haste that he scattered the contents of the chicken feed pail into the coop. The chickens, vile little creatures that they were, flocked to it like ladies to the prince, and Mush hurried to the sink.

Thank goodness for indoor plumbing, he thought, letting the luke-warm water wash over the soul of his foot. The offending waste gone, Mush sighed when the bells began to ring.

It wasn't the bells he minded so much. It was the people ringing them.

"I'm coming," he mumbled, rolling his eyes, glad for the confinement he was forced into every night. There, in his bedroom that had no bed, he could say what he wanted, and do what he wanted, and no one would ever find out.

They called it "the hole" as though calling it that would make it a less desirable place for him. Mush loved it that they hated it, and loved it that it was the one thing in the house he could call his very own.

Okay, not the only thing, but one of the only things.

The other was a wooden horse, well, half of a wooden horse, carved by his very own father who had bestowed it upon Mush with his dying breath. "Find the other half, my son. When you do, you will find your family."

He often wondered why his father hadn't used those last breaths to just tell Mush where his family was.

The bells rang again, more insistently, if bells can ring a certain way, and Mush was forced to concentrate on his morning duties.

Breakfast.

Oscar liked his hash browns more as hash whites, so Mush peeled the potato, chopped it into tiny pieces and piled the pieces, uncooked, onto a plate. Oscar liked his bacon raw, and his milk sour and his pancakes gooey and pale.

"Kinda reminds me of him," Mush observed decorating the plate with a few sprigs of parsley he'd grown himself and some maple syrup.

Morris was a burnt type of guy. "Over fried eggs, over fried brain," Mush said piling the contents of the frying pan onto a second plate. Charred toast, crunchy pancakes, water instead of milk, and salt. On everything.

"And dear old mumsie," Mush chortled. "Likes 'em fluffy and soft. Delicate and angelic. No bacon, she's watching her figure, and milk, perish the thought. Orange juice is much healthier." He poured a lit…a lot…of salt into the orange liquid and then, because he'd done it every day since he turned ten, he piled the three trays effortlessly onto his arms and head and started upstairs.

They were still in bed of course. Oscar let out a huge snore as Mush entered. "Rise and shine dear brother. I come bearing gifts."

An incoherent mumble followed, which Mush was sure wasn't very nice, as were most comments sent in his direction, and Mush replied cheerily, "Good morning to you, too." He put the tray down on his stepbrother's bedside table and then left, slamming the door shut on purpose just because he felt like it.

He was grinning when he entered Morris's room.

"Dear brother, you don't need any more beauty sleep than you've already had."

"Can it Pinhead," came the loving reply.

"I'm flattered you take the time to remember me." Mush set down the second tray and paused for a moment. Morris had his back to the table. If he could creep closer…saliva was the same color as water…same flavor too…he'd never know.

"What are you still doing here, creep? Get lost."

"Yesss massster." Mush bowed slightly, realizing there was still a tray on his head, and then left the room.

"What kept you? I'm positively farmished."

"I think you mean famished."

"Don't tell me what I meant. I meant what I meant and if you couldn't understand it perhaps you need to read the dictionary some more."

"I don't read the dictionary."

"Then maybe you should start. Stop changing the subject and answer the question."

"I was—"

"Food first, _then_ answer the question." Mush obeyed, placed the tray in front of his stepmother and then backed away as bits and pieces of meal scattered about the room.

He wondered for a moment if she would notice arsenic in her orange juice…

Bad thoughts Mush.

"I was sleeping."

"What?"

"That's what kept me. Sometimes when I'm dreaming, I get so consumed by the images in my head, green meadows, crystal clear water and people, oh the wonderful people, that time just seems to stop and I lose track of…well, everything. You must know that feeling stepmother."

"I mustn't do anything of the sort. Foolish child. Leave my presence at once. You have chores to do."

"Yes stepmother."

"And Mush?"

"Yes stepmother?"

"Those ceilings in the parlor are looking dingy. See what you can do about that."

"Yes, stepmother."

Outside his stepmother's door, Mush paused to wonder why he put up with such people.

"Because they're the only family you have," came the answer.

Mush sighed. And then, because there were eggs to collect, and a garden to groom, Mush just smiled and put on his happy face. If he was going to live in misery, at least he could do it with a smile.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Thanks for the reviews guys. I figured the Cinderella thing had been done, but I had an idea…and ideas don't just leave you alone, y'know? So if I'm copying someone, I apologize.

_Rule #2: Work, work, work, and then you can play._

Oscar and Morris's favorite game was "Tackle Mush while mom isn't looking and when she does look, hit him even harder because she'll laugh."

Mush hated that game. It hurt. A lot.

He held a wet washcloth up to his swollen face and sighed, scrubbing the lunch dishes with one hand, a task he was used to by now, and generally loathing his stepfamily.

He would leave but…

They needed him. Mush wasn't one to let people down, evil or not.

Lunch dishes complete, Mush discarded the cloth in exchange for a large bucket, which he swung lazily at the chickens as he crossed through their coop, watching his step this time, and made his way to the cherry orchard.

He liked the cherry orchard. It consisted of three giant trees and it was quiet and far from prying, nosy, meddling family members.

There was a small creek nearby, and Mush listened to it running lazily down its course to the lake near the castle.

He had a lot in common with the creek. Running the same course day after day. The creek was one up on him though; it would reach its destination. Mush wasn't so sure that he would.

He hummed as he picked, daydreaming.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he finally dropped the last bright red cherry into the bucket. He grinned at the knowledge that he could carry the full bucket one handed. He was sure his stepbrothers would have trouble carrying the bucket one handed when it was empty. That thought made him love cherry season even more.

Thoughts aside, it was time for a bath.

The creek was calling his name, or would have been if it had been able to talk. "Alright, alright," Mush said, pulling his shirt over his head. He dipped it in the water, scrubbed as much of the grime off that he could and then laid it over his bucket to dry. He tested the water before throwing himself into it.

It was pleasantly warm and refreshing, and surprisingly deep. The creek was swollen this year, almost four feet deep he guessed.

He floated on his back for a while, staring up at the clouds drifting sluggishly by.

"I envy you," he said to no one in particular. "So much freedom."

"Freedom?"

Mush was startled by the voice and would have drowned if the water hadn't been so shallow. Even so, he swallowed a mouthful before he was able to right himself.

He stared up at the stranger, a peculiar man with a patch covering one bright blue eye. The uncovered eye was wide and unblinking and a lock of blond hair fell into it. He was dressed in a heavy red cloak.

"Uh…sorry?"

Mush continued to stare.

"I know we just met and all, and this is going to seem like a weird question but—"

The stranger and Mush both turned their heads at the sound of thundering hooves approaching. The stranger jumped into the creek with Mush and grabbed his shoulders, turning Mush so that they were face to face. "Hide me?"

Mush noticed the desperation in the boy's face and pushed him under the murky surface of the water just as the horses with men on their backs came to a halt in front of them.

"You there."

Mush looked around and then up at the man who had spoken. He pointed a finger at himself and then said, "me?"

"Yes, you. Have you seen a boy around here?"

Mush shook his head.

"Are you sure?"

Mush nodded. The boy was starting to struggle beneath him and he pushed down harder, hoping that the red cloak wouldn't surface and betray them both.

"Well, if you see anyone. Let us know."

Nod and smile, Mush. Nod and smile.

The men rode away not a moment too soon. Mush released the boy who surfaced and gasped for air, clinging to Mush with one hand for support. "I…thought I was…done for," he said.

Mush shrugged out of the boy's grip and exited the water. He grabbed his shirt and slipped it over his head.

Still damp.

"I'm Blink by the way."

"That's a weird name."

Blink grinned. "You got a name, or should I just call you my savior?"

"Mush."

"And you think Blink's a weird name?"

Mush rolled his eyes and started to walk away.

"Wait!"

Mush stopped, hid the grin that was creeping onto his face and then turned around. It was nice having someone around that wasn't family.

"I mean it, Mush. You're my savior."

"Are you running from the law or something?"

"Or something just about covers it." Blink caught up to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get caught sooner or later, but thanks to you, it'll definitely be later than it usually is."

"What did you do?"

"Curious little fellow aren't you?" Blink laughed. "I escaped."

"From jail?"

"Imprisonment of the worst form. No windows, no doors…no company…so cold…" Blink shivered for dramatic emphasis and then laughed at the horrified expression on Mush's face. "It wasn't that bad really, but sometimes, a guy's just got to get out, y'know?"

Mush nodded. "I think I do." He grinned. "I'm not, strictly speaking allowed to have company over but…if you promise to be quiet, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"That sounds great! What are we having?"

"I just butchered a pig yesterday, so the meat's pretty fresh, and I could pick a few carrots, they're ripe now and just bursting to be eaten and…" Mush trailed off.

Blink was giving him the strangest look.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," Blink said, smiling. "I just…I've never met anyone like you before, Mush."

"Well, I've never met anyone before, so I can honestly say the exact same thing about you."

Blink laughed and then draped an arm over Mush's broad shoulders. "I think we're going to be friends."

"I've never had a friend before," Mush said, quieter and less cheerfully, but still somewhat cheerfully because Mush was naturally cheerful.

…

"You do this every night?"

"Morning, noon, and night," Mush corrected, hoisting fresh dinner platters onto his arms and head.

"Can I help?"

"Just make sure the bacon doesn't burn," Mush said. " And don't make any noise, I'll be back in just a minute." Mush felt Blink's eye on him as he ascended the stairs gracefully and then provided his family with their dinner.

"'Bout time, Mush. My stomach's so hungry it's starting to eat itself."

"I knew I should've waited a little longer," Mush said, placing the tray on Morris's bedside table. Morris said a few not very nice things and sent Mush on his way.

Oscar was more pleasant. He was asleep.

Mush had a burning desire to wake him up just for spite, but decided against it. One beating for the day was quite enough. And besides, he had a guest.

Remembering Blink gave him a sudden rush of adrenaline. He had a friend! An actual living breathing friend that talked back and had a face and an eye patch, which was kind of strange, and it was Blink's idea that they be friends in the first place!

"Mush, Darling. Did you clean the ceiling?"

"Every inch stepmother."

"And the drapes?"

"Yes, stepmother."

Mush removed the tray from his head and set it on his mother's lap. She glanced at the clock and then at her stepson. "You're late tonight…Dreaming again?"

Mush nodded quickly.

"Don't make a habit of this, Mush. I am tired of waiting for dinner every evening because of your insistent dawdling. I am a hard working mother," she placed a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. "Raising three boys isn't easy."

"Yes, stepmother."

Mush backed out of the room, leaving his stepmother to eat in peace.

He hurried back to his bedroom and grinned when he saw Blink exactly where he had left him. "You're still here. Good."

"That smells really good, Mush."

"I know." Mush harvested the bacon from the stove top and then placed it on a plate on the floor between them. "It isn't much, but…there are carrots for dessert and—"

"Mush, this is great. I don't think I've ever felt more like a king than I do right now."

"Speaking of kings," Mush said. "I noticed that you have a patch over your eye and I was wondering well…"

"What happened?"

"Yeah."

"I fell."

"Oh." Mush decided not to push it. It made no sense to ruin a friendship when it had only just begun.

"Can I ask _you_ a question?"

"Of course." Mush hoped it wouldn't be a hard question. He hated hard questions.

"What happened to _your_ eye?" Mush touched the tender bruise around his eye and flinched. He had totally forgotten it was there.

"I fell," he replied. Blink grinned.

Mush smiled back.

It was nice to have a friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: dit-to.

_Rule #3: Stop daydreaming, you have a family to serve._

Mush couldn't have helped it if he had wanted to.

He fell asleep in the orchard. He blamed Blink for it. If he hadn't had to entertain company until the wee hours of the morning, he would have gotten a decent night's sleep.

He had told himself he'd only take a quick nap, let his eyes rest momentarily so that he could see straight. One thing led to another and…

His father had stolen a boat.

"I didn't steal it," the old man said. "I borrowed it. There's a huge difference between those words and if you want to get anywhere in life, you're going to have to remember that."

The boat was floating down the creek; Mush sat on one side, his father on the other. "Do you still have that wooden horse I gave you?"

"Of course father."

"Good. I think that it's time you found the other half."

"I can't. I don't know where to even begin looking. There are so many places it could be."

"Where does your heart tell you to go?"

Mush hung his head. "That's the problem, father. I don't know."

"You will, son. You will."

"Can't you just tell me?"

"I wish I could, but for now it's time to wake up."

"What? No. Father I—"

"Mush!"

Mush sat up and looked around. In the distance he saw his stepbrothers running frantically toward him.

Something must be wrong.

His brothers never ran, nor did they leave house.

Mush stood up, brushed the dirt off his shorts and stared as the boys halted in front of him. Oscar was wheezing so Morris grabbed a piece of paper out of his brother's hand and shoved it at Mush.

"A ball!"

"What?" Mush looked down at the paper in his hand. A ball. Thrown in honor of the prince's twentieth birthday.

"He's going to choose a bride," Morris continued.

"What does this have to do with you two?"

Morris and Oscar looked at one another and then at Mush. "We need your help," Oscar supplied.

"Mother wants you to make our dresses."

"Have you two forgotten that you're my _brothers_?"

"No no, not at all. Mush, all we need to do is get the Prince to fall in love with one of us, marry us, and then we'll take his money and skip town," explained Oscar.

"Which means," said Morris, "that Oscar and I need to be the best looking girls there."

"Except for, you're boys."

"A detail. Really, the prince doesn't know that."

"But he will!"

"Mom said you have to help us."

"Fine, I'll help you just…leave me alone."

Morris and Oscar slapped each other high fives and then ran back toward the house.

Mush had made up his mind.

…

Packing was easier and quicker than Mush had planned it would be. The only possession he had other than the clothes on his back, was the wooden half-horse, and that was light and small.

He placed it gently on top of the food he had shoved into a potato sack, and slung the sack over his shoulder.

He had no idea where he was going, only that he was going, and no one was going to stop him.

He reached for the handle on the door just as a knock came from the other side.

Who in the world could that be?

He pulled it pen and peered out. Grinning back at him, white teeth blaringly bright in the moonlight, was Blink.

"Miss me?" he asked pushing past Mush.

"It's only been a few hours," Mush pointed out.

"I missed you," Blink pouted.

Mush laughed out loud. "You can't stay here, Blink."

"Why not? This is my new sanctuary."

"Because I'm not staying here."

"What? Where are you going?" Blink suddenly noticed the sack in Mush's hand and stared at Mush expectantly.

"I have to find…" he trailed off.

"What? What do you have to find?"

"Its stupid really. Just…" Mush sighed.

"Mush, tell me. If it's important to you then it's not stupid."

"It's…" Mush reached into his sack and pulled out the half-horse. He pushed it into Blink's hand and then waited for a reaction.

"I don't understand."

"My family, my real family, has the other half, Blink. I need to find it. I can't stay here anymore. Here I'm…I need…I just have to go, alright?"

"Alright." Blink handed the horse back to Mush. "I'm coming with you."

"You can't, Blink. I don't really know where I'm going, and I…it could be dangerous."

"I like danger."

"What if…what if you died?"

"I welcome death. In fact, there are times I wish for it."

"But I…you…we…what if we get lost?"

"I know every inch of this kingdom, backward and forward."

Mush couldn't think of another excuse so he relented. "Fine, come. But you better not die."

Blink grinned and crossed his heart. "I will try my hardest not to. Promise."

"Alright then." Mush grabbed the sack and hoisted it over his shoulder again. Then a thought struck him. "Don't you need to get your things?"

"What else do I need? I have clothes, my dashing eye patch and the best traveling companion a guy could want."

Mush blushed and ducked his head. He stepped over the threshold into the moonlit darkness and waited for Blink to step out before shutting the door securely behind him.

It was only when he looked up into the dark windows of his family's bedrooms that a wave of guilt washed over him. They would starve without him, that was for sure. And Oscar and Morris would beat him to death after they found out he was unable to make their dresses for them. If he ever returned home.

If…

TBC… Sorry. That chapter was kind of short, not that my chapters are ever very long but, yeah. My dialogue muse took over. He seems to have replaced my absurdist muse, which sucks, I really liked that guy!

Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: ditto

_Rule #4: Never ever ever, talk to strangers_.

"They think the prince will actually fall for it?"

"Yeah."

Blink laughed out loud. Mush wanted to laugh with him, but for some reason, he was not feeling much in the mood for it. It had been three days since they'd left, and Mush was no where closer to finding his family than he had been before he began searching. They'd been to one town already and Mush thought for a moment that a lady sitting on her porch in a rocking chair could be his mother, but upon closer inspection, he realized his father would have never married a woman that looked like that.

Then he began to think that perhaps his mother was dead. If that was the case, his father was a lunatic. How could he have a family if they were all dead? Unless of course, they'd had other kids and he had a brother or sister somewhere. Then he wondered if said sibling was out wandering around searching for him?

It would be a shame to walk right past his older sister or younger brother, or even two older brothers and a younger sister, or a sister with a limp or a sister of any kind, without even realizing who she was.

He had taken to staring down every person they passed by just to see if they shared any of the same traits. One girl had a slightly upturned nose, like him,and Mush wondered for a moment, but then realized her hair was flaming red, and her skin pale as a ghost. Plus she had freckles.

There were a few times when he's almost given up hope, but Blink had assured him that it was quite natural to search for something for a really long time before you actually found it.

"Are you alright?"

Mush was startled when Blink's voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to his friend. "Yeah. I was just thinking."

"Must have been something pretty deep."

"No. Not really."

Blink kept a steady gaze on the side of Mush's face for a few moments and then pointed to a patch of forest in front of them. "There's a little village just through there, a half a mile in at the most. We can probably find a place to sleep for the night."

Mush was amazed by how well Blink really did know the kingdom. Blink explained that it was because of many business trips he went on with his father.

"Your father must be an important man to have business all over the kingdom."

"Some people think so." Blink changed the subject immediately afterward, explaining that the trees they were passing by now were redwoods. "They're some of the oldest trees in the kingdom."

The trees seemed to stretch upwards forever, their tops vanishing into the darkening sky overhead.

A few minutes later, Blink pointed out a light up ahead. "That's the gatekeeper's shack."

They approached it. Mush was slightly nervous. In all his life, he had never met so many people. He liked meeting people but the experience was still new.

"Can I help you boys?"

Blink lowered his voice when he spoke. "My friend and I are looking for lodging."

The man, the gatekeeper, stuck his head out through a small window to observe the boys more closely. "How long do you plan on staying?" His voice was gruff and unfriendly, and Mush was glad when the man's bald and wrinkled head disappeared back through the hole.

"Just for the night."

"The Red Lantern has a few free rooms. Board isn't cheap but a nights lodging includes breakfast."

"Thank you," Blink said. The man opened the gate and allowed them to pass through. Inside, the village was alive and well lit, almost more inviting than it had seemed on the outside. It was bigger than the one they'd stopped at previously, and Mush couldn't help but pause now and then to take in the sights and sounds.

Blink was amused by Mush's curious behavior and told him so.

"I've never seen anything like this," Mush said, trying to defend himself but only succeeding in sounding more captivated by the village. "Do we have to sleep right now?"

Blink laughed and then motioned to a sign above their heads. The Red Lantern. "We'll check in and save a room. Then we'll have some fun."

Mush liked that idea very much.

They entered the building into a crowded room, full of very loud and boisterous people. A dance was going on near the back corner, big hairy men dancing with thin, frail ladies, others surrounding them tapping their feet in time to the music of a nearby band.

Mush stared. He couldn't help it. He was aware of someone talking into his ear, but he was in a sort of trance and then—

"Mush!" He turned to find Blink staring at him. "Lets go drop off your things. This party isn't ending anytime soon. Trust me."

Mush did trust him. Mush realized that even though he'd known Blink for less than a week he trusted him more than he trusted his own family, which wasn't saying much because he didn't trust his family at all, but since they were the only other people he knew, it was the only comparison he could make.

Their room was large; Two single beds sat on either side, made up with the softest looking blankets Mush had ever laid eyes on. There was a wash basin between the beds and a tub in the corner. Just to the right of the door was a dresser, which they had no use for but Mush liked it even so.

It was no wonder that the room hadn't come cheap. Wait.

"Blink! I can't afford a room like this! I can't even afford to—"

"Mush, calm down. It's taken care of. The owner owes me a favor." Blink winked. At least, Mush thought he winked. He couldn't be sure because one eye was covered. For all he knew Blink could have been blinking and Mush just assumed he winked. Of course, it _had_ been a very appropriate time to wink, hadn't it?

Sometimes being Blink's friend was difficult.

"Well, that was easy," Mush said, dropping his nearly empty sack onto the floor. "Let's go exploring, Blink."

"Great idea, Mush."

The people outside of the Red Lantern were much more fascinating than the ones inside. A woman with long dark hair offered to read Mush's palm. Mush glanced down at his hand and scrunched his eyebrows. "It doesn't say anything," he explained, holding his palm out to her. She laughed along with Blink and then explained that the lines on his palm told a story. His story.

"Really?"

"Yes, child." The bracelets on her wrists clanked together as she took Mush's hand into her own. She ran a finger along one of the lines and Mush had to stifle a giggle. It tickled! "I see adventure in your future," she said. She moved on to another line and then said, "and people. Lots of important people."

"My family!" Mush shouted. He turned to Blink, yanking his hand away from the woman in the process. "It has to be my family!"

"I'm sure it is, Mush," Blink said. The woman looked at them angrily.

"I don't do readings for free," she said, placing her jewelry clad hands on her hips.

Blink reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins. "It wasn't that great of a reading anyway," he said. He grabbed Mush's elbow and pulled him away.

"How did she know that stuff, Blink?"

"She's a fortune teller, Mush. A gypsy. They're not to be trusted."

"Why not? She seemed nice…and all of that stuff she said…"

"She probably says it to everyone."

Mush felt his heart drop. So she was only lying to him.

"Oh, no Mush, I mean…don't worry. We'll find your family. But, gypsies they aren't…" he trailed off and then sat down on the steps of a nearby building. He patted the space next to him and Mush moved into it, still feeling dejected. "People have to make a living, Mush. Gypsies do it by claiming to see the future. They lie, steal and cheat their way through life and…this isn't helping is it?"

Mush looked over at Blink. "I think maybe we should keep looking."

The city wasn't quite as much fun after that.

Mush found himself glaring at every person who passed by that even resembled what a gypsy looked like in his mind. Blink was unusually quiet.

Mush finally saw something that made him light up when they turned a corner. In the window of a store was a display of wooden horses, just like his, only whole. He grabbed Blink's hand and pulled him toward it. "C'mon. We have to go inside."

The shop's owner was a tall boy with dark curly hair and large blue eyes. He was sitting behind the counter, reading a book in the light of a lantern, the only light in the entire room.

He looked up when Blink closed the door behind them. "The store is closed, gentlemen."

"The door was unlocked."

"It would be stupid of me to lock myself in now wouldn't it?"

Mush and Blink looked at one another and then back at the shopkeeper. "We don't want to buy anything…My friend here, he has a question for you."

Mush felt bashful then. This boy could be his long lost brother. He felt a hand on his back pushing him forward and found himself so close to the blue eyed boy that he could feel his breath on his face.

"I just…"

"Go on," Blink urged.

"Are you my family?"

The boy stared down at Mush, his eyebrows furrowed and his expression, well, more curious than angry thankfully.

Then he laughed.

Mush stepped backward and found solace once he was beside Blink again. The shopkeeper was laughing hysterically now, doubled over and clutching his stomach while even in the dim light they could see his face turning red.

"Jack put you up to this, didn't he?" The shopkeeper managed to ask between huge bursts of loud laughter. "Good one Jack!" He shouted. Mush and Blink turned around quickly thinking there was someone else in the room.

They were alone.

"I'm serious," Mush said. "We don't know any Jacks. I have this horse, this well, half horse, and I'm looking for the other half. I saw the horses in the window and I thought…I thought…" Mush stared at the boy and then grabbed Blink's arm. "Come on."

Outside, Mush breathed a huge breath of fresh air. They could still hear the boy's laughter through the open door.

"I thought for sure that…"

"Mush, that guy was an idiot. We'll find your family." Blink yawned then and Mush yawned too. They laughed quietly and then Blink suggested they head back to The Red Lantern for "some well earned shut eye."

Mush thought that was funny, because Blink really did have one eye. He told Blink so and Blink punched him in the shoulder.

Mush was surprised to find that it didn't hurt as much as it would have if it had been Oscar or Morris. He smiled as they trudged upstairs to bed.

Mush had never had a more comfortable sleep.

TBC…

A/N: Where in the heck did that come from? I fear this story had taken a turn for the more serious than absurd. My absurdist muse has left me completely. I don't know what to think of myself now.

Shout-outs (because I've never done them before and it seems like so much fun!)

**Sprints 100: **Aww…you flatter me. Hopefully I will live up to your expectations.

**madmbutterfly713**: hmm…that would be amusing wouldn't it?

**Kid Blink's Dreamer**: I like cliffhangers….I like them a lot.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: ditto

_Rule #5: Don't take things that don't belong to you, and if you do, run far, far away_.

Mush began to wonder if maybe Blink was wrong about the gypsy woman. He was truly on an adventure, and she had said he would have one, hadn't she?

They'd left town early the next morning, Mush making it very clear that they take the long way out so that they wouldn't have to pass the wooden horse store. Two days later, Mush could still hear the shopkeeper's laughter. What if he never found his family?

"The next town is another two day's journey, Mush," Blink said. "We're running really low on food. We should have filled up before we left Ruckton."

"Ruckton? What's that?"

"The town we were at."

"Oh." Mush was glad they hadn't stopped for supplies. That shopkeeper had probably blabbed to the entire town what had happened. He seemed like the type. Mush felt his face grow hot picturing the townspeople having a good laugh at his expense. If he ever went back there, which he hoped would be never, he would teach that kid a thing or two.

"You don't laugh at Mush," Mush mumbled.

"What?" Mush glanced up at Blink.

"Nothing. I was just…talking to myself."

"You sounded mad."

"So myself made me angry. We're both over it now. It's not good to bring up things that happened in the past so—"

"Whoa Mush." Blink laughed and held up his hand defensively. "I get it." They fell into a thoughtful silence then. Mush tried to match Blink's pace. He walked quickly with long strides, kept his back straight and looked almost…royal.

Around nightfall, Blink suggested they start looking for a place to set up their camp for the night. "We don't have anything to set up, Blink."

"Right…I meant, we should look for a place to sleep. On the ground. Without blankets or anything."

"I told you we should stop and get your things form your house," Mush said matter-of-factly.

"I wasn't complaining," said Blink. "I happen to like sleeping in the dirt."

They walked a little while longer until they heard angry shouting in the distance.

"What do you think that is?" Mush asked. They peered into the darkness around them, but the trees blocked out the moonlight making the forest almost pitch black.

"There," Mush said, pointing an unseen finger into the distance. "There's a light or something."

Blink followed his companion's outstretched arm with his eyes. "Lets go check it out. Someone could be in danger."

They ran toward the sound and found it's source huddled by the trunk of an especially large tree.

"Are you alright?" Mush asked, trying to get a glimpse of the person's face in the darkness.

"You can't have it! Back off both of you. This is my tree, got it?" The boy grasped the trunk tighter and hid his face.

"Yeah, we got it," said Blink.

Suddenly from behind them, there was the sound of crunching leaves and both Blink and Mush spun around to find another boy charging at them.

Blink stepped in front of Mush protectively, but the boy rushed past them and instead grabbed the boy at the tree hugging him tightly. "Skittery, I'm so glad I found you," the second boy said.

The one called Skittery hugged the second boy back. "You told me to hug a tree. I did and you found me," Skittery mumbled.

"I told you I would never lose you." The second boy looked up then and noticed Mush and Blink for the first time.

"Who are you?" he asked, releasing Skittery and stepping in front of him as Blink had done.

"Just wary travelers," said Blink. "We're looking for lodging and food."

"Well, you've come to just the place. Skittery and I were just out looking for firewood and we got separated." As if to prove his point, the boy motioned to a scattered pile of wood on the forest floor. "Help us gather this up and then join us for a meal."

Mush grinned and pushed Blink aside. "Of course we'll help. I'm Mush and this is my friend, Blink. We're looking for my family."

Skittery stepped forward to speak then. "Did you try hugging a tree? When I lose Snoddy, that's what I do. It always works for me."

Mush heard Blink snort behind him and knew his friend was trying very hard to stifle his laughter. He turned and glared at his one-eyed companion though the action probably went unheeded in the darkness. "Let's help them, Blink."

On the way back to wherever Snoddy and Skittery were leading them, Mush couldn't help but notice how incredibly strong Blink was. He was carrying twice the load that any of the others were, including Mush and Mush was very strong. He could carry a full cherry bucket one-handed, couldn't he? He silently told himself that he could carry more wood, there just wasn't any need for that much excess. He'd show Blink he was strong.

"Here it is," Snoddy said as they approached a small hut. "Home sweet home."

Skittery, reaching the shack first, dropped his pile beside the rickety steps and then pushed the front door open. The others did the same.

Inside, the hut looked larger and more spacious. The main room had a wooden table in the center; four wooden chairs sat around the four edges. Two doors led off into other rooms, Mush supposed. Snoddy put a few things into a pot. Skittery went around the room, securing the locks on the door, boarding up the windows and then lighting a fire in the fireplace. When the fire was lit, the only real light in the room, Snoddy hung the pot of whatever it was he was cooking over the fire, and then motioned for the others to join him around the table.

"Get many robbers out here?" Blink asked as Skittery sat down to join them. Snoddy looked at him oddly for a second and then replied, "oh! You mean all the locking door stuff. Nah. Skittery's just paranoid."

"I have a right to be," Skittery snapped defensively. "There are people after me."

"People after you?" Mush asked, embarrassed at how frightened he sounded. He'd never had to deal with robbers or anything like them before, and now, sitting in a dark hut in the middle of the forest, who knew what could happen?

Blink seemed to sense his fear and put a hand on Mush's shoulder.

"Yeah. Been chasing me since the day I was born for all I know," Skittery said.

"But…why?" Mush asked.

"I have something they all want."

"What is it?" Mush felt something. A spark of hope maybe? Did Skittery have the wooden horse? Of course, there wouldn't be any reason for anyone else to want it so badly they would chase someone all over the country, would there? Mush had stared at the half horse enough to know it's every detail. But maybe he'd missed something. Maybe the inside was filled with gold! And the men chasing Skittery were treasure hunters! That of course, would make Mush a target as well. If they found out about his half of the horse…

Mush shuddered.

Skittery had been talking the entire time that Mush had been thinking and was now staring at him expectantly. Mush glanced over at Blink, who raised his visible eyebrow, a slight hint of a smile on his face.

"Okay, Skittery," Snoddy said, interrupting the awkward silence. "I think its time that you head off to bed now. I'll make sure our new friends are fed properly."

"I'm not tired, Snoddy," Skittery protested.

"I don't care. You need your sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh…yeah." Skittery stood up also, and then turned to Mush and Blink. "It was really nice meeting you both. I hope you find your family."

"I hope so too," said Mush. He and Blink sat in silence for a few moments while Snoddy and Skittery disappeared from the room.

"What was he talking about?" Mush whispered.

"I've been asking myself that same question," Blink replied, chuckling quietly. "He's the strangest fellow I've ever met, that's for sure."

Snoddy returned then and went to the fire to check on whatever he was cooking. "Just about done," he mumbled, stirring it with a large wooden ladle. He came back to the table then and sat down. "Sorry about him. His parents were killed right in front of him when he was seven. He thinks the killer is out to get him as well."

"That's terrible," Mush said. He'd never witnessed a murder, but he knew what it was like to be an orphan. He and Skittery had one thing in common…maybe more.

"You said the two of you had a big day tomorrow," Blink said, interrupting Mush's thoughts.

"Oh! The festival." Snoddy said it as though they should know what he was talking about.

Mush didn't.

But Blink did. "The Carnivore festival?"

"Yes," Snoddy smiled, perhaps glad that Blink knew what he was talking about.

The more Mush learned about Blink, the more he wondered. How did Blink know so much about everything? He couldn't possibly have learned it all from business trips with his father.

"…been raising him since he was just a piglet. He's humungous now, I'd say at least six feet long."

"The festival…it's in Oxenville, right?"

"Where else would it be?" Snoddy laughed. He excused himself then as the pot on the fire began to hiss. Dinner was ready.

…

"Don't you see, Mush? People from everywhere will be there. All over the kingdom."

"Maybe my family will come too."

"Precisely!"

It was early when Blink had grabbed Mush by the shoulders and shook him violently to wake him up. Mush had thought he was being attacked by robbers and punched Blink incredibly hard in the chest for it.

Mush had asked why they were leaving so early. Blink wanted to sneak out before the other two woke up. "I don't want to be anymore of a hassle," he explained. "They might want to feed us breakfast or something."

When they were well away from the hut, Blink explained the real reason they'd left so early. "I may have borrowed a few things."

"You mean stolen, don't you?"

"No! I have every intention of returning everything when our journey is complete."

"What did you steal?"

"I _borrowed_ some food and a map. I swear that's all Mush. I'll pay them back."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Now they were approaching the festival grounds which were already swarming with people. Mush was excited. He'd never been to a festival. He'd never been anywhere.

Blink pulled him forward.

Mush felt like he was back in the village. People were everywhere, talking, laughing, dancing. He couldn't help but smile.

"Shall we?" Blink asked, removing the horse from their potato sack.

Mush grinned and nodded.

…

They'd searched all day and hadn't found a thing, or person. But for some reason, Mush couldn't be sad about it. They'd had such an exciting day. Mush had especially loved the ox contest. He'd seen the large beasts on farms back home, but never up so close. The winner was an ox named Shelby who'd been taught to walk through flaming hoops.

Mush had been on the edge of his seat during the performance. "She's not going to catch on fire, is she?" he had asked Blink.

Blink only laughed and watched Shelby finish her trick with perfection. She didn't catch on fire, which relieved Mush, and when she received her ribbon, Mush had clapped the loudest.

Then of course, there had been the food. Meat from all over the kingdom, some that was so familiar to him, and some he'd never even heard of. He'd tried one slice of bacon and spit it out immediately. "I could do better," he said.

Sometimes, he was having so much fun, he would forget to look for his family. Luckily, Blink had been there to remind him. "Why don't you ask her?"

Blink had pointed at an old woman sitting behind a display of the most delicious smelling roast beef. Mush decided his mother would have to be a great cook or he'd never accept her.

He approached the woman cautiously, holding the half-horse behind his back. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

The woman looked up, smile pleasantly and then offered Mush a sample.

It was heavenly.

"I don't mean to bother you," he said when he'd finished chewing. "But I have this horse and I was wondering…have you seen the other half?"

After the shopkeeper had laughed him out of town, Mush and Blink had worked up a new ploy. If they looked for the other half of the horse, asking about it instead of Mush's family, wouldn't be so awkward.

The woman's face fell. "I'm sorry, lad. I haven't the slightest idea where it could be."

Mush smiled and thanked her politely grabbing a few more samples of her beef for the road. "It's not her," Mush said. He handed some beef to Blink.

They stood, eating in silence, enjoying the smells all around them when there was a roar of laughter from somewhere behind them. They grinned at each other and then hurried toward the crowd. In the center was a flock of chickens, dancing. Well, their owner called it dancing. They bobbed their heads in time with the old man's flute, and stopped moving completely when he stopped playing.

"That's the strangest thing I've ever seen," Mush said. He continued to watch, entranced by the dance. He laughed out loud when one particular chicken started to hop over the others. Blink laughed out loud as well. Blink had a nice laugh, Mush noted.

When night fell, the festival was still very much alive. Mush and Blink found shelter in the tent of the kind old woman from earlier that day. She'd filled them up with beef and then handed them some blankets and told them to make use of the haystacks she had in the back of her tent.

They did.

Mush fell asleep immediately and decided; he didn't care if he ever returned home again.

Because it wasn't his home. Not really.

A/N: Whoo! That's honestly one of the longest chapters I've ever written!

Thank you: madmbutterfly713, mushsgrl13, kid blink's dreamer, and Queenie90!


	6. Chapter 6

Rule #6: When faced with the difficult task of fighting an army, it's best not to insult said army's leader.

It was late in the afternoon three days later when Blink and Mush arrived at a small bridge. Standing in front of them, arms folded across his chest, was the smallest soldier either boy had ever seen.

At first, they attempted to squeeze past him with grunted hellos, but the soldier would have none of it. "It's gonna cost you to cross this here bridge," he announced.

"Oh, really?" said Blink, stepping forward. "Who's going to stop us? Certainly not you."

"Keep talkin' tough guy. I have an army ready and waiting to fight anyone who refuses to obey our laws."

"Your laws? The king makes the laws, my friend."

"The king is a hundred miles from here. He has no idea what kind of laws we need here. And what's more," he reached up and thumped Blink hard on the shoulder. "I don't think he cares."

"Of course he cares." Blink looked mad, Mush noted, an emotion he was used to seeing on the faces of his stepbrothers, and mom, but never on his new friend. Of course, he'd only known Blink for little more than a week, so, he convinced himself, it would be a while before he would know what all of Blink's emotions looked like.

"Blink, it's okay, really. We can cross further down."

"Stand back, Mush." Blink pushed Mush backward gently and then turned back to the guard. "Do you know who I am?"

"Should I?"

"You'll regret ever having messed with…" he trailed off and then turned back to look at Mush. Mush realized he was leaning forward, hanging on Blink's unfinished sentence.

Blink gulped and then took the few steps that stood between he and Mush and grabbed Mush by the arm. "We'll cross further down," he said.

Further down, Mush decided that he was too curious to let Blink just trail off like he had. "What were you going to say?"

Blink stared at him and then shrugged. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"Back there, with that guy. You were about to tell him—."

"Nothing. I wasn't going to say anything."

"Yes you were. You said—"

"Mush. Drop it."

Mush had never heard Blink sound so stern before. "Alright."

They traveled on in silence and down the road a ways, discovered a section of the river where it was thin enough that they could hop over. Once safely across, they continued, still in silence.

After an hour or so, they found shelter in another cheap lodge in another small village, and Mush claimed he was too tired to venture out. They napped.

Mush was the first to wake up. He glance over at Blink, snoring soundly in the cot across the room and decided, given Blink's earlier grumpiness, that it would be best to let his companion sleep. He closed the door quietly behind him.

The tavern beneath their room was silent, unlike the taverns they'd encountered previously. Mush ventured outside. The village was quiet, but there were lots of people, which didn't really make sense to him.

He decided not to care as he approached a woman standing behind a fruit cart. She didn't say anything, just stared at him, waiting.

Mush pulled the horse from his pocket and held it out to her. She looked at it, curiously. "Sorry to bother you," he said. "I'm looking for—"

He was cut off suddenly when loud trumpets sounded from somewhere behind them. Both he and the woman watched as a parade of horses approached, most of them draped with the king's banners, and upon which rode men dressed in the garb of the royal guard. Mush had never seen them, but he'd heard all about them.

He watched in awe as the horses came to an abrupt halt in front of him. Curious passers by gathered around as the man on the lead horse dismounted. Several men behind him blew their trumpets once more.

Blink was missing out. For a moment, Mush considered running back to wake his friend, but then the man started speaking.

"Hear ye, citizens of Balderling. His royal Highness Prince Henry has disappeared from the castle grounds, upon the suspicion of kidnapping!"

Mush gasped, as did the people around him. A few women let out startled squeals of "kidnapped!"

"It is the request of his Majesty, King John the seventeenth, that the Prince be returned with haste. Failure to comply will result in immediate death, and anyone who has information of the Prince's whereabouts will be properly compensated." Another murmur spread through the crowd and Mush was about to turn away, excited to tell Blink about the news, but the man wasn't finished.

"Upon the return of his Royal Highness, the King has prepared a celebration ball to which you all are invited." There was a cheer following this remark and Mush left then to tell Blink the news.

He wondered if this was the ball that the Prince would be forced to choose a bride at, and then chuckled at the thought of them trying to fool the Prince into marrying one of them.

Blink was awake when Mush arrived, and was stuffing a blanket from the bed into his sack. He glanced up at Mush and then blushed. "They won't miss it, really."

Mush grinned, too excited to care about his friend's pilfering habits. Blink, realizing he was in the clear, finished packing the blanket into the sack. "Any luck?" Blink asked, motioning with his eye to the wooden horse still in Mush's hand.

Mush looked down and then shook his head quickly, stuffing the horse back into his pocket. "No…but, that's not why I came back. Blink! The Prince! He's missing! And the Kin sent his horses out to look for him, only they can't find him and now they're offering money to whoever finds him and—"

Mush stopped when Blink's hand covered his mouth suddenly. "Who did you hear this from?"

"The guys in the market. They're royal guards, they have to be! I've never seen them before but—"

Blink cut him off again.

"Here? Now?"

Mush nodded, unable to speak with Blink's hand still over his mouth.

"Show me."

The look in Blink's eyes after that, startled Mush. Blink released him and Mush could feel his presence lingering close behind him as he trudged back out of the inn and into the courtyard.

Blink pulled his cloak hood up over his head when they approached the team of horses. "I can't believe they came all this way…" Blink mumbled.

"What?" Mush was confused. More confused than he'd ever been. "Blink. What's going on?"

"I'll explain later, Mush. But we have to leave."

"We can't, Blink. I haven't even searched for—"

"We'll search someplace else, Mush. Come on."

And then Mush was being dragged from the city, Blink muttering under his breath the entire way.

When they were a safe distance from the city Mush refused to go any further. "Tell me what's going on, or I won't take another step."

Blink sighed and then dropped his hood. "Look I…there's not really an easy way for me to say this…I'm…"

"You're a thief aren't you?"

"What?"

"That's why you're running from them. I should've known. That first day we met, remember…down by the river? You said you were running from the law…"

"Well…I…"

"Look, Blink. You're my friend. My only friend. I'm not going to turn you in, but I want to know the truth."

"Mush it's…do you hear that?"

Mush started to protest but found himself silenced once again by Blink's firm hand. He starined his ears and finally in the distance, heard the sound that had made Blink pause.

"Is that…horses?"

Blink nodded, pulled his hood up and then pushed Mush into the trees. They can't find me, Mush. They can't."

"Alright." Mush yanked himself away from Blink and crouched behind a different tree than his friend. He didn't know why he was so bitter, just that he was. He glanced at Blink who looked hurt, but Mush told himself he didn't really care. Blink was a liar and a thief, the very kind of people Blink had warned him about.

They listened to the hooves approach and then disappear. Blink let out a sigh of relief and sank down to the forest floor. "That was close."

Mush started to walk away.

"Wait. Mush."

Mush kept walking and quickened his pace when he heard Blink right behind him.

"Come on, Mush. Look, if it helps at all, I'm sorry."

Mush wanted to stop. He really wanted to, but in his book, Blink was just like his stepbrothers. All he cared about was himself. What if those guards had caught Blink? There was a good chance they would have thrown Mush in the dungeon as well. They had been traveling together, and Mush had been a witness to at least two of Blink's thefts. Who knew how many more he had committed when Mush was asleep or away?

Mush started to run.

He thought he was safe until a warm body tackled him from behind and pinned him to the ground. Mush yelled when Blink pulled his arms behind his back and leaned forward to talk into his ear. "Mush. You have to understand me."

Blink underestimated Mush's strength and suddenly, he was the one pinned beneath Mush. "I understand, Blink."

"Oh you do?"

"Your freedom means more to you than I do. That's obvious."

"Is that what you think?"

"That's what I know, Blink. You used me. Used me to help you get away from the guards. What if they had found you, Blink?"

"Mush You don't—"

"Don't tell me I don't get it. Because I do get it, Blink!" Mush punched him then. In his face.

Blink shouted as Mush scrambled off of him and started to run.

"Mush! Get back here!"

Mush kept running. And running. Until he couldn't hear Blink's prodding feet behind him anymore.

Then he realized for the time how alone he really was. He was in the middle of the forest, with no idea where he should go or how far it was to the next town.

But then he told himself, he would mush rather be alone and lost than traveling with someone who he didn't trust. Well, didn't trust anymore.

He looked at the road before him and sighed.

It was going to be a long journey.

A/N: Li'l Mushie's journey seems to have taken a turn for the worse eh? Well, you know what they say, it will only get worse before it gets better.

Thank you: antiIrony, wisecracker88, Sprints 100, madmbutterfly, mushs-grl13, and Kid Blink's Dreamer.

Just so you know, this story (though not my favorite) has more reviews than any of my other stories! Y'all rock!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: see chapters 1-6.

_Rule# 7: Never ever under any circumstances, lie._

Mush was lonely. And scared. It was dark and he had no idea where he was going or where the trail he'd been following since he left Blink was taking him. He was tired too, but finding himself incredibly alone, frightened and lost, thought it would be better if he didn't stop to sleep for the night. The forest was full of strange, unfamiliar and even unfriendlier sounds that Mush wondered if his life was in serious danger.

Another good reason to keep moving. At least, he told himself, awake he could try to ward off an attacker. Asleep, he was as good as something's dinner. Mush shivered at the thought, wrapped his arms around himself and trudged forward.

Dawn was dawning in front of him, a sight for sore, tired eyes. The bright orange sun was just peeking up beyond the turrets of the castle's dark silhouette.

Wait. Castle?

Mush stopped suddenly and stared, sure that he must look like a fool with his mouth hanging open, gawking like an idiot at the whitewalls of the palace. It was real.

It wasn't that he never believed there was a castle, it was just that the fantasy was so far beyond his comprehension that seeing it before him made him wonder if he hadn't dozed off and was lost in a dream world.

Dream or not, Mush relished the sight and found a sudden burst of energy and warmth as he launched into a run and with each step, found the castle growing larger and larger.

If only he'd known the palace was so close. He'd imagined it on an unreachable stretch of land, protected by dozens of traps. He imagined being faced with a giant sphinx, a creature his father had once told him about, and victoriously answering her riddle without taking so much as a breath before he did so.

Now the castle was less than a foot in front of him and he lifted a hand to touch it. Really, it was the wall that surrounded the town that surrounded the castle, but to Mush, it was all part of the same fantasy.

The stone was cold, but not so cold that Mush couldn't bear the contact. A shiver ran down his spine and then—

"You there!"

Mush turned around suddenly to see a pair of the King's guards, on horseback, staring down at him. He wasn't sure which one had addressed him.

"What are you doing?" asked the one on the right.

"Just making sure it was real," Mush answered truthfully. He wasn't sure why the guards snickered at his reply.

"Its real alright," one of them said, motioning to the gate less than twenty feet from them. Mush hadn't noticed it. "Go on in and have a look."

Mush took several deep breaths before smiling up at the guards and taking the few steps that remained between him and the entrance to the city.

His family had to live here.

The city inside the wall was bustling with life, but unlike the villages he'd visited previously, it wasn't a rambunctious sort of lively it was…

Different.

Eventually, he found himself in a vast marketplace that smelled like fish. He asked around; had anyone seen the other half of his horse?

An old man, blind in both eyes, reached a hand out to feel the wooden structure and was about to say something when a small boy, less than ten years old Mush guessed, ran between him and the old man. Mush watched him; the boy kept glancing nervously over his shoulder.

Less than a minute later, Mush realized why.

Two large, hairy men, both brandishing polished swords pushed their way through the crowd, shouting insults at the boy, who seemed to have long since disappeared into the crowd.

Mush, curious, ran after them. What would two huge men like those have against such a little boy?

When the men stopped, a shopkeeper, a tall lanky man with unruly brown hair, had captured the boy and was holding him out to the men by his collar. "Caught 'im tyrin' to hole up in my cellar," the man explained, spitting afterward.

"Thought you could get away did you?" One of the guards growled. He grabbed the boy from the man's grasp with so much force, the material of the boy's shirt ripped. The boy shouted for help, and Mush thought it would be best if he ran away, back to where he came from.

But the crowd was much too thick for Mush to push his way through. He finally gave in and watched.

"What'd the little gutter snipe do?" a woman behind him hissed to the man beside her.

"He's a thief from the looks of it," the man whispered back.

It was at that moment that Mush looked at the boy and made eye contact. He tried to look away but he couldn't. The boy's face was dirty, scratched and caked with dry blood, his clothes were baggy, torn, beyond repair, and he was barefoot.

Mush felt something. It wasn't pity; it was…

Sympathy.

He didn't know what moved his feet to the middle of the crowd where the men were whipping the boy with heavy lashes.

"Stop!"

It wasn't Mush's voice that had left his mouth. It couldn't have been. He never yelled. Ever. Not like that anyway.

At first, the men just stared at him incredulously, the onlookers holding their breaths in anticipation.

"What did you say?"

Mush glanced at the little boy who swiped at his wet eyes with a dirty sleeve which only succeeded in leaving a darker streak of dirt across his young face.

"I said stop," Mush replied, less brave. His voice shook when he said it and he cursed himself mentally for it.

"He said stop," the man on the left said. Both men laughed. "I suppose you'll want to be joining him in the dungeon then." The men started to advance and Mush started to back up, but suddenly, from nowhere, a figure jumped between him and his foes.

"In the name of his majesty, I command you not to lay a finger on either of these gentlemen."

"By what authority are you—"

The man on the left paused when the figure removed his hood. Mush recognized the blond hair immediately.

Blink had come to his rescue…

"Your highness!" Both men, and all the citizens around him dropped to their knees. Blink turned around to look at Mush. "I wanted to tell you," he said quietly.

"You know this boy?" One of the guards asked, still on his knee.

"Mush has been my traveling companion for quite some time now. He's an honest and decent fellow and I—"

"You were kidnapped, your highness."

"And this boy, he was your captor."

"No! I asked if I could travel with him. He had no knowledge of my status."

"Guards!" The guards mumbled something to one another and then forgetting all about the boy, one grabbed Mush and the other grabbed Blink.

"Unhand me or I'll have you thrown in the dungeon!" Blink shouted. The guard ignored him and instead began dragging him through the crowd which was dispersing slightly as six new guards arrived, pushing their way through.

Mush remembered watching a large fist growing larger as it neared his face, and then a burst of pain, and then darkness.

…

When Mush came to, it was still too dark for him to know if he'd opened his eyes or not. He was obviously in the dungeon, though he'd always pictured it differently in his mind. Somewhere behind him, a steady drip evidenced a leak from somewhere up above.

He didn't know what day it was, how long he'd been out, whether or not he was alone…

It became obvious to him after a while why exactly men died so quickly in the dungeons. The silence was getting to him. He was hearing things, strange sounds he'd never heard before, sounds that no creature he knew of could make.

He hoped whatever it was couldn't see in the dark. He huddled as close to the cold, stone wall as he could.

The sound became so loud after a while that he began shouting to drown it out.

"Pipe down," hissed a voice.

"Who's there?" Mush listened to his voice echo around the chamber and then fade.

"Quiet!"

"But who—"

A loud creaking sound silenced him and suddenly, the dungeon wasn't quite so dark.

Mush shielded his eyes against the light and then watched as two figures entered. One of them tossed a metal contraption aside; it crashed loudly against the wall.

"You're going to get us caught," a voice said. Mush recognized it immediately.

"Snoddy?"

"Mush! You look terrible!"

"I feel terrible, thanks."

Snoddy and Skittery who upon closer inspection, Mush realized the second figure was, hoisted Mush to his feet and helped him to the freshly opened door. The light in the hall wasn't at all bright, but Mush had been in the darkness for so long, it gave him a headache. He winced and slammed his eyes shut.

"How'd you find me?" He whispered.

"Blink told us," Skittery replied.

"But…how'd you get past the guards?"

"It wasn't hard. All they needed was a bottle of my special rum…they were out in less than a minute."

"But it wears off pretty quick," Skittery said. "You're going to have to stay quiet and we'll sneak you out through the kitchen.

Mush learned that Skittery and Snoddy knew a lot of people. And they all seemed more than willing to help out.

Before he knew it, Mush was free, and cringing in the sunlight. "Now, we have to get you ready for the ball."

"What?"

"The ball," Snoddy repeated. "Blink mentioned you had wanted to attend."

"Not anymore." Mush hung his head slightly. Blink had tried to stand up for him in the market but…Blink had lied. About a lot of things. He'd never told Mush he was the Prince. He stole from people. Mush couldn't trust Blink anymore than Blink could trust Mush. Blink had kept things from him after all. If he had trusted Mush, he wouldn't have kept so many secrets. Important secrets.

"Nonsense," Snoddy replied, grabbing Mush's arm and pulling him through the streets.

"No, I really don't want to," Mush protested, though it didn't sound convincing even to himself. "Blink he's…he's a liar…I don't want to see him."

"Well he wants to see you," Skittery said. They stopped in front of a building. Skittery looked both ways and then pushed the door open.

"I don't care what he wants," Mush mumbled. Skittery shut the door behind them and then locked it. Mush glanced around. They were in an old shop. A Few cans of food hidden beneath a layer of thick dust sat on an old shelf. A few cobwebs hung in the corners.

Mush coughed when Snoddy opened a door behind them and filled the room with a billow of dust.

"What is this place?" Mush asked finally.

"It's the old general store," Skittery explained. "We stay here sometimes when we come to the city."

"It's a health hazard," Snoddy said, resurfacing from the room with an armful of fabric. "The city closed it years ago an account of the roof having a leak. They were going to destroy it, but some of the townspeople decided that it was too important to the city's history to destroy, so they just left it. No one cares enough to do anything about it so it just sits here."

Snoddy shoved the material into Mush's lap. "Put these on," he said.

"Where did these come from?" Mush asked.

"They're on loan," Snoddy grinned. "From His Royal Highness."

A/N: Sorry it took so long guys…I'll do better. I promise. I think next chapter will be the last…but I'm not for certain.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine I mean, the concept is, but the characters, most certainly not.

_Rule #8: When attending a party, always dress your best._

Mush knew he must have looked as stupid as he felt and he told Snoddy so as the other boy helped him with the bow tie around his neck.

"You look great," Snoddy countered, stepping back to examine his handy work.

Mush felt his face turn red at the compliment.

"The coach is here," Skittery said suddenly, appearing in the room as though by magic.

"C-coach?" Mush stuttered.

"Of course. How else did you expect you'd be arriving at the palace?"

"Look, Snoddy, Skittery, I appreciate this…I really do, but…I can't just walk in there...I'm not-not…" he trailed off.

Not what? Royalty? He was sure he wasn't good enough to stand in the presence of all those…rich people.

"Mush, you're as good-"

"Better!" supplied Skittery.

Snoddy nodded," yes. _Better_ than most of those people in there. The only thing they have that you don't is money, and that doesn't matter."

"But Blink he's…he'll never be allowed to be friends with a commoner."

"I think he's quite old enough to make his own decisions, and you will never find out what that decision is unless you go now!"

Mush had no more time to protest as he was pushed through the door and into a cushioned seat in a fancy looking coach.

…

The ballroom was already full when Mush appeared at the top of the stairs. He noticed Blink, seated at the front of the room, dressed in the nicest and most expensive looking clothes Mush had ever laid eyes on. He was being introduced to two very tall girls. Mush smirked slightly when they turned around and he caught a glimpse of their faces.

His stepbrothers. The look on Blink's face told Mush that the prince had remembered the warning he'd been given.

Mush took a few steps forward and paused. He still wasn't quite sure exactly what to do, or what to say, but something had to be done; that much was certain. Mustering up all of his remaining courage, he descended the stairs and stepped into Blink's line of vision. It took a few moments fro Blink to finally look at him, really look at him, but when their eyes met, Blink's visible one grew large.

Mush managed a halfhearted smile, which Blink did not return.

It wasn't until the room went silent that Mush noticed every pair of eyes in the room on him.

"It can't be," a familiar voice said behind him. It was deep and rough, and strange coming from the mouth of the woman dressed in green behind. Oscar stepped forward, walked in a circle around Mush taking in his attire. "Our little brother."

There was an audible gasp as Morris stepped forward to join his brother. Together they sneered down at him. Morris rolled up his sleeves. The two seemed to have completely forgotten about their disguises.

"I'm not here to fight you," Mush said quietly.

"What for then? Certainly you aren't here to marry the prince." All eyes followed the hand Morris had stretched out to point at the subject of his statement and Mush was surprised to see anger etched across Blink's normally cheerful face.

"I just…" Mush hung his head, unsure of what to say. All he wanted was his best friend back, but who would believe him. He started to turn away.

"Not so fast," said Oscar, stepping on front of Mush. Morris was still behind him and while there were dozens of people in the room, Mush was alone. There was no one to help him. Suddenly, Morris grabbed his arms and held them tightly behind his back and Mush struggled to break free as Oscar came closer, baring his teeth and clenching his fist. "Do you know how much we suffered when you left?" he growled.

"Mother can't cook at all," added Morris, his voice close to Mush's ear. Mush tried to jerk away but Morris held tight.

"What's a matter, Mush? Didn't you miss us?"

Then a stinging blow to his face made his eyes well up with tears. There was an outburst from the crowd, who were clearly against Mush. Another fist found its way hard into Mush's chest and Mush gasped as the air left his lungs.

"That's enough!" A voice shouted several blows later. Mush's vision had atred to grow dim, but the voice sounded vaguely familiar. There was another outburst and then hands groping at his sides, lifting him to his feet. "Go Mush," the voice said. "Get out of here."

Mush didn't hesitate. He used the little vision he had left to navigate his way through the jeering crowd, up the stairs and out into the cool night air. It wasn't until he was well away from the palace that he slowed to a stop. Alone and in pain, Mush realized, he had no place to go.

…

It was several days later, and Mush was starving. It seemed that the entire city had turned up at the ball and all had agreed not to help him out in any way shape or form. Even the few people who had been kind to him when he'd first arrived turned their backs and denied him food and shelter.

Mush wondered if Blink had made it a law. He was sure he would never see the Prince again and he was positive he'd never find his family.

He decided to return home.

He tucked his half hose into his pocket finding the empty burlap sack an unnecessary burden.

"Mush!"

Mush stopped dead in his tracks. That was a voice he would recognize anywhere.

Slowly he turned.

Blink skidded to a halt and then breathed heavily to catch his breath. "I've been…looking everywhere….for you."

"You haven't look that hard."

"My father had me locked in my room…"

"What do you want Your Highness."

Blink cgringed. "Please don't call me that."

"Why not? Its what you are isn't it?"

"I'm no different than you, Mush."

Mush laughed out loud. "Except that you're rich and powerful and you have a family!"

"Mush I—"

"Forget it. Blink. I'm heading back home. I can go back to being ignored and content. It was stupid of me to think my family was out here."

"Mush…Take this at least." Mush glanced down at the cloth he was being handed.

"What is it?"

"Something I should have given you a long time ago."

Mush stared at it curiously and then unrolled the cloth. "But this is…" He stared down at the half wooden horse. It couldn't possibly be…

He reached into his sack and removed his own half. Nervously, he placed them side by side. "They fit," he whispered.

Blink frowned. "I wanted to tell you so badly."

"Why didn't you?"

"We were having so much fun, Mush. If you'd found out I had the other half…I never would have gotten to like you so much."

"Blink…those things I said…I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I deserved it."

"You did. But I'm still sorry…" he trailed off still staring down at the horse. "How is this possible?"

"Your father did mine quite a service a few years back. Saved his life. Your father and mine made a promise that should anything ever happen to the other, their sons would be cared for…Rumor of their pact spread quickly and soon, little boys were showing up at the palace door every morning claiming to be you. Our fathers decided that the horse would show the true son. If I were to show up at your door with my half horse, or you at mine, our father's would know."

"How do you know all this?"

"I asked my father about it when I was dragged back to the palace…Mush…I understand if you want to go back but I…would like a chance."

"I think…that I would enjoy being your brother, Blink."

"And I yours!"

Blink pulled Mush into the first hug Mush remembered ever receiving. The first hug that ever meant something.

"One question though," Mush said as Blink draped an arm over his shoulder and led him back up the road toward the palace.

"What's that?"

"When your father dies…who gets to be king?"

Blink laughed.

For the first time in a long time…

Mush was happy.

And, he had a family.

THE END.

A/N: I am SO sorry that I suck! I realized one day, oh crap! I still haven't finished this! But now it's done, and I'm sorry if it's disappointing, but it's really the ending I was aiming toward the entire time. Feel free to hate me. But I love all of you!


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